Rolling To and Fro

I was walking from the parking lot to enter my office this morning when I could hear a light rumbling sound behind me. There was nary a cloud in the sky so it couldn't have been thunder and it certainly wasn't a car rolling up on me (there wasn't enough base in the sound) and it was again too light a rumble to be an airplane so when I turned I realized that it was a fellow co-worker dragging a rolling office bag behind them. I don't know what it is about rolling bags that have always struck me as a bit odd. I mean I think they're one of the best inventions around when you're rushing through a crowded airport. I mean gone are the days where you would pull a large suitcase with that dinky pull strap along with two wheels which were several sizes too small to easily carry a suitcase as overloaded as most of us made them.

But these days it seems like everyone has a rolling bag. I look around the office and as I was making my way to my desk I noticed at least four of the maybe dozen people I passed in the hallway had a rolling bag being dragged behind them. Maybe I happened to see an abnormal number on the way but seriously, look around and you'll see how prevalent it's becoming. I even see kids going to and from school these days with rolling school bags that have pictures of their favorite cartoon or movie characters. Back in my day (boy do I sound old) if I wanted to carry something like that I'd schlep it on my back and carry it. That's not to say it's probably a smarter thing that kids are dragging their bags behind them these days. Have you felt how heavy kids' school books are becoming these days? I guess with the need to cover any and all topics and be politically correct in descriptions it is necessary to use more words hence bigger books.

But what about us office denizens? I can understand the need if you are a business traveller. Laptops are getting lighter but the ones we are usually issued at the office are meant to be robust and multi-functional so rare is the time that we'll find a lighter-than-air laptop being issued to us at the office. But seriously, do we need to have a rolling bag to carry it all around? I regularly carry stuff to and from the office but I don't have so much that I'm ruining my back. Maybe that's a sign I'm not working hard enough or maybe it's because I'm not important enough to warrant having to carry work to and from the office but still, are we carrying around so much crap that we need to drag it behind us on wheels?

I'm honestly surprised at this point that women haven't started dragging their purses around in a similar fashion. After all, the current trend in purses I've seen lately is that purses are getting bigger and bigger. Have you seen the size of the purses these days? I mean my gym bag pales in size comparison. Is it any wonder then that so many women have trouble finding stuff in their bags. It's slowly becoming the size of a small carry-on suitcase. I suppose that if a designer like Prada or Gucci designs a rolling purse then perhaps they will suddenly become in vogue and sell like hotcakes but I'm not holding my breath. Yet all it will take is a designer name and perhaps a few choice celebrities dragging on around Rodeo Drive and you'll see how quickly the trend picks up.

I honestly think I'm onto a gold mine here. A rolling purse that could then also double as a shopping carrier. I mean if nothing else, women need something to carry all the shopping bags that they carry around with them when they are at the mall. A multifunctional device like a rolling purse is the key. Now if you suddenly find a company like Prada or Gucci or any of the other top designers out there touting this concept then please bring it to my attention. So far as I know I'm the only one who has suggested this trend so I'd like at least some credit. Perhaps I'm old fashioned or perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment so I'll continue to carry my bags on my shoulders (be they my office bag or my travel carry on's) but I'd rather carry than drag any day.